Biden’s candidacy faces new peril, including first Senate Democrat saying he should exit race
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s imperiled reelection campaign is hitting new trouble. Rather than urging him to stay in, House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday “it’s up to the president to decide” if he should. Celebrity donor George Clooney said he should not run, and Democratic senators expressed fresh fear about his ability to beat Republican Donald Trump. Late Wednesday, Vermont Sen. Peter Welch called on Biden to withdraw, becoming the first Senate Democrat to do so. It all shows how unsettled the questions over Biden’s candidacy remain among Democrats, despite Biden’s insistence he is staying in the race. Pelosi has been widely watched for signals of how top Democrats are thinking about Biden’s candidacy.
Biden’s press conference will be a key test for him. But he’s no master of the big rhetorical moment
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s press conference on Thursday offers him a fresh opportunity to try to prove to the American public that he’s capable of serving another four years after his big debate flop threw the future of his presidency into doubt. But Biden is not known as a master of the big rhetorical moment and his recent cleanup efforts have proved inadequate. The president will close out the NATO summit in Washington with a rare solo press conference as he’s struggling to quell the Democratic Party’s panic about his chances this November.
Trump wants Black and Latino support. But he’s not popular with either group, poll analysis shows
WASHINGTON (AP) — As he prepares to accept the Republican nomination for the third time, Donald Trump has promised to expand his coalition — and, in particular, to win over more of the nonwhite voters who largely rejected him during the 2020 election. But an AP analysis of two consecutive polls from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research conducted in June shows that about 7 in 10 Black Americans have a somewhat or very unfavorable view of Trump, as do about half of Hispanic Americans. While both groups do see Trump a little more favorably than when he left office in 2021, their opinion is still more negative than positive.
NATO allies call China a ‘decisive enabler’ of Russia’s war in Ukraine
WASHINGTON (AP) — In their most serious rebuke against Beijing, NATO allies have called China a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s war against Ukraine and expressed concerns over China’s nuclear arsenal and its capabilities in space. The sternly worded final communiqué Wednesday makes clear that China is becoming a focus of the military alliance. It came as 32 NATO members gathered in Washington. The European and North American members and their partners in the Indo-Pacific increasingly see shared security concerns coming from Russia and its Asian supporters, especially China. In the communiqué, NATO member countries said China has become a war enabler through its “no-limits partnership” with Russia and its large-scale support for Russia’s defense industrial base.
Israeli military orders the evacuation of Gaza City, an early target of its war with Hamas
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Israeli military has urged all Palestinians to leave Gaza City and head south. The evacuation orders issued Wednesday indicated that Israel was pressing ahead with a fresh offensive across the north, south and center of the embattled territory that has killed dozens of people over the past 48 hours. The stepped-up military activity came as U.S., Egyptian and Qatari mediators were meeting with Israeli officials in the Qatari capital, Doha, for talks seeking a long-elusive cease-fire deal with Gaza’s Hamas militant group. Israel informed people in Gaza of the evacuation order by dropping leaflets.
Wildfire risk rises as Western states dry out amid ongoing heat wave baking most of the US
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Authorities in Western states are warning of the rising risk of wildfires as hot conditions and low humidity dry out the landscape amid a protracted heat wave baking much of the U.S. California’s top fire official says so far this year the state has responded to more than 3,500 wildfires that have scorched nearly 325 square miles of vegetation. Blazes are also burning in Oregon, where the governor issued an emergency authorization allowing additional firefighting resources to be deployed. More than 142 million people around the U.S. were under heat alerts Wednesday, especially across the West, where dozens of locations tied or broke heat records.
Pressure mounts on Houston power company to quickly restore service as city sweats after Beryl
HOUSTON (AP) — Houston’s primary utility company has come under mounting pressure over its response to Hurricane Beryl. Nearly 1.3 million homes and businesses in the area remained without power Wednesday, and residents continued to search for places to cool off, fuel up and find food. A CenterPoint Energy official defended the company’s response during a meeting with the Houston City Council. He noted that power had been restored to more than 1 million power customers since Monday. The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory for the area and said conditions are potentially dangerous given the lack of power and air conditioning.
Alec Baldwin cast as reckless flouter of rules at his trial in cinematographer’s shooting
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Prosecutors sought to cast Alec Baldwin as someone who flouts rules and has little regard for safety at the first day of his New Mexico trial in the shooting of a cinematographer. Special prosecutor Erlinda Ocampo Johnson repeatedly referred to Baldwin playing “make-believe” with a revolver on the set of the film “Rust.” She said it led to very real danger and the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Baldwin’s attorney, Alex Spiro, told jurors that the actor did only what actors always do — act like the characters they’re playing. He called the death an “unspeakable tragedy,” but said Baldwin had committed no crime.
Government power in the US is a swirl of checks and balances, as a recent Supreme Court ruling shows
NEW YORK (AP) — The framers creating the U.S. Constitution knew they needed SOMEONE to be at the helm of the federal government, a president. But they didn’t want to risk making a new ruler. So they split power. But through the centuries, the powers that the branches of government pushed to have for themselves and in relation to each other have made checks and balances a moving target. That was on display yet again this week, when the Supreme Court displayed its own power as it ended a hugely significant term with a 6-3 decision that in turn broadened presidential power by saying former presidents had widespread immunity from criminal prosecution for acts undertaken while they were in office.
Colombia beats Uruguay 1-0 and will face Lionel Messi and Argentina in Copa America final
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Jefferson Lerma scored in the 39th minute, and Colombia played a man short the entire second half in a 1-0 win over Uruguay to reach the Copa America final against Lionel Messi and Argentina. Daniel Muñoz was ejected in first-half stoppage time for his second yellow card, but Colombia held on to reach the championship for the first time since winning its only Copa title as host in 2001. Colombia extended its unbeaten streak to a team record 28 games. Players from both teams pushed and shoved on the field at the final whistle and some players went into the stands to scrap with fans.
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